they're doing it again
by iseesparksfly
Summary: Dez has been there for all the most important parts of Austin and Ally's relationship/or Dez's perspective on Austin and Ally


**A/N: I found this on my computer. I wrote it due to procrastination and the fact that I seem to like this quote way too much. I don't know what happened in the middle...or the beginning...or the end, but enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **

**I don't own Austin and Ally**

**1**

Dez never did quite understand Austin's infatuation with the music store by the food court. He understood his love of music, but didn't see the appeal of this store in particular as it was smaller than the one near the entrance of the mall, and the trek to the out-skirting music store tired the redhead out more than he wanted to admit.

However, like the supportive best friend he was _(and the fact that he did not want to be alone)_, he would often walk with Austin to Sonic Boom, but had never been inside; opting to explore the other stores around the area or grab a bite to eat instead. All in all he didn't see what was so special about it, or why it was so special to Austin. That is until he actually accompanied Austin into the store one day, and the reason for his best friends interest became apparent.

The first thing he saw when he walked in was a short, cute brunette girl standing behind the counter, writing in a small brown book determinedly. She didn't look up as the two friends entered the store, her gaze intent on her book that she scribbled in, and Dez pushed her out of his mind when his blond best friend started playing the drums with a pair of corndogs supplied by yours truly. Angling his camera accordingly he set about getting some good shots for a new music video but looked away from the screen when a whistle cut through the air and the crashing sounds of the drum stopped abruptly. He looked up to see the girl from the counter gripping Austin's wrists and she seemed to be reprimanding them for playing the instrument, which he thought was quite odd considering it was a music store. Stepping in to defend his best friend's actions, Dez spoke directly to the girl, but yelled a loud "Cut" when his camera went hurtling out of his hands and landed with a crash on the floor. Getting to his knees to inspect the damage he started fiddling with the video camera that he had been given for his last birthday, checking the lens and the screen for chips and cracks. Sighing in relief when he saw it had survived the fall he stood back up, ready to grab his best friend and leave before the scary girl could tell them off again.

However he was surprised to see Austin already talking to said girl and he didn't seem in any rush to leave, following her around as she walked. Dez rushed over and was in time to see him go on to play a trumpet through another trumpet, visibly impressing the girl and making Austin grin as she started to clap with the rest of the store. Unfortunately Dez's own musical talent didn't get the same response and resulted in an incident with an old lady and a harmonica that had to be taken care of. While Dez was partway through saving said old lady's life _(for some reason he never got thanks for that)_ he glanced over toward the two teens by the counter. They were both leaning forward on the counter towards each other, Austin practically lying on it, and didn't seem to notice their hands overlapping. They were completely oblivious to the impressive noises that the lady was making in her throat and he's sure they would have been awed if they weren't so intent on one another. For some reason they just kept look at each other and Dez paused for a moment. It was like they were in a world of their own and he could hear the teasing lilt to their voice, as if they had been friends for years. They were grinning at each other for a moment before her face returned steely and only when she turned her back to him did they break eye contact. Only Dez seemed to notice his friend's disappointed expression when she cut him off, but before he could think too hard about it a set of dentures went flying through the air.

Cheering in happiness that he had saved a life he grinned, oblivious to the struggling woman in his arms and watched the disgusted teenage girl pick up the dentures with one hand and walk back to Austin. She picked up Austin's hand that was still leaning on the counter and placed them in his hand with a grim smile, not letting go until she turned to walk away up the stairs, leaving one teenage boy shaking his hand desperately in an attempt to remove the spit laden set of teeth and the other confused as to why Austin had continued to talk to the girl he didn't even know for so long. Sure, Austin was friendly but he had never seemed so comfortable talking to a stranger before or made much effort to do so.

Shrugging it off Dez watched his friend look up to the room on the second floor wistfully and watched apprehensively as he started walking up the stairs. It seemed Austin was curious about the girl and Dez decided not to intervene. Nothing would probably come out of Austin's curiosity of her anyway, so what harm could he do? Either way, Dez realised, he had found the reason Austin liked the store so much.

**2**

There had been a number of occurrences when Austin had flat out denied he had feelings for Ally. Dez would casually ask sometimes, maybe after some stares lasted a little too long, and was then rewarded with a 10 minutes rant on how they were just partners and they were just too different. After the third time this had happened Dez decided maybe he should stop bringing it up, besides they probably didn't like each other. Ironically it was when Austin turned himself into a wet pumpkin to stop Ally liking him that Dez realised how much Austin really did care for Ally.

The two friends had read Ally's book a few hours before and there had been an appropriate amount of freaking out when they discovered that she liked Austin. Granted Austin's freaking out was that of worry, while Dez was fangirling a little inside, but they were still both shouting and pacing. Austin didn't need to know that his best freckled friend was kind of happy about what they found out so Dez kept his thought to himself. Personally he thought the two made a good team and wouldn't mind them becoming a couple, but by the state Austin was currently in the feelings evidently weren't mutual. Austin had now proceeded to make a list of reasons the two weren't compatible and Dez remained silent.

"_We're too different people"_

Dez thinks that isn't a valid argument. Don't opposites attract after all?

"_She likes pickles and I like pancakes" _

Food taste doesn't really make a difference. Besides he specifically remembers a few days ago when Austin had ordered pickles on his burger just because they reminded him of Ally. An offhand comment by Austin 'Oh, if Ally were her she'd want pickles' went unquestioned by Dez but he quirked his eyebrow up slightly, although this went unnoticed by the blond.

"_She likes reading books, I like having fun"_

Call him crazy, but Dez specifically remembers Austin reading a book just to impress Ally. She had been talking one day about one of her favourite novels, a Jane Austen classic. Austin of course had no idea who that was but claimed he had read it to impress his brunette _(girl)_ friend. Unfortunately this resulted in him being invited to her book club meeting the next day and forced him to spend the entire night reading so as not to let her down. He would never admit that he enjoyed it, but Dez remembers Ally telling him that Austin had been very enthusiastic during the discussion. That is until he fell asleep mid sentence and the meeting was abruptly cut short, with Ally shooing everyone out of the practice room and placing a blanket around her tired friend before continuing with her shift downstairs.

"_I'm cool and collected and she chews her hair when she gets nervous!" _

The last time Ally got nervous was when she had to do a presentation in front of the class on the structure of a sentence. It ought to have been easy, but the shy songwriter was petrified to speak in front of everyone, gnawing on her brunette curls in worry. She had claimed that she "felt like a noun that had been thrown into an adverbial clause at the wrong place". Honestly Austin had no idea what that meant, but he still proceeded to calm her down, carefully removing the strand of hair from between her teeth, pulling her into a hug and whispering encouragement in her ear. He was sat in the middle of the room and sent encouraging smiles to her as she talked and she kept her eyes on him throughout the whole thing. Austin didn't understand a word and was honestly too busy praying she wouldn't break down, but it must have made sense because their teacher was very impressed. At the end of the speech she gave a huge sigh of relief and rushed into his arms. He clutched her to his chest and repeatedly told her how proud he was of her.

Of course Dez didn't mention any of this and let Austin continue to work himself into a frenzy only deciding to mutter "Who are you trying to convince. Ally or yourself?", though unfortunately Austin misses it, concentrating too hard on pacing and creating a draught.

Eventually the two walk downstairs and a second later Austin has Ally clinging to his neck and repeatedly saying she loves him and he is dragged into the practice room. Dez gives a salute of good luck toward his friend as he is pulled by the wrist up the stairs

Then next few days pass in a bit of a blur. Between being threatened and mourning the loss of his gingerbread family, Dez doesn't remember what happens. He barely blinks when Austin turns up to his house completely orange with a prominent white outline from where his sunglasses had been. Together they arrived at the store and experienced an incident involving a hot chilli, a TV crew and a disgustingly amazing amount of sweat.

It turned out that Ally didn't like Austin, but the cell phone accessory guy; Dallas. Dez decides not to be disheartened that his favourite two people _(don't tell Trish)_ weren't going to get together any time soon, but he kept positive with the thought that maybe Ally had a thing for guys named after cities in Texas. In fairness, Austin had never said that he didn't care about her, and there was still a chance he could develop feelings for her too.

When the TV crew had left after _completely_ humiliating Austin, Dez had spent a minute focusing on stuffing a towel back into a backpack and when he looked up Austin and Ally were already stationed in their respected positions either side of the counter and yet again she seemed to be telling him off because he looked incredibly guilty. It was most likely about touching her book, so Dez decided to skulk in the shadows inconspicuously _(hide behind the counter and avoid eye contact) _to avoid a lecture of his own. Besides they probably wouldn't have noticed him anyway seeing as they seemed to be pretty intent on their conversation.

He could hear Austin apologising sincerely and he was the only one how saw the sigh of relief when Ally accepted his apology. Dez thought that it might be safe to interrupt at that moment, secure in the fact that Ally wasn't going to shout or hang him from the door by his suspenders _(she was Trish's best friend after all, she must have some violence in her)_ but then Ally was running around the side on the counter to catch up with Austin, who was in serious need of a shower _(and a new shirt)_.

Now Ally was asking whether she was horrible and that's why he didn't like her. Dez felt his heartstrings tug slightly because he was starting to develop a soft spot for the songstress and didn't like the upset tone she was using. He wanted to tell her that she was pretty cool as far as girls go (_not as cool as boy and dogs though)_ but Austin beat him to it.

Dez always liked the word awesome. In his book awesome meant exceedingly cool. It meant to look up to someone or be inspired by someone and he knew that was how Austin felt about Ally _(the amount of crumpled up lyrics and score sheets in the bin under the counter showed that he had finally tried properly to write a song). _Awesome means you're more than cool in that person's eyes. Dez thinks it suits Ally very well. Plus Awesome Ally sounds like a superhero and superheroes are pretty damn cool.

Austin seems to think Ally is pretty damn cool too because a second later he's grinning while stepping towards her with his arms spread wide. Unfortunately a small hand on his chest stops his movements in their tracks.

"Let's hug when you're less orange and sweaty."

Dez reads his best friends expression carefully and he can almost see Austin's thoughts written in the air; 'Is that a promise?'

It's not creepy at all that Dez watched that whole exchange without blinking, right? He can't help it that they have a habit of only focusing on each other when they talk.

Dez may have made the mistake of mentioning this to Austin who promptly hung up the phone, but not before saying that the likelihood of he and Ally getting together was the same as being attacked by a giant alligator. When they went to the Everglades that same summer Dez took great pleasure in reminding Austin of what he'd said while Team Austin were running for their lives away from a sinking boat and a very angry 'Big Mama'. Unsurprisingly the only response he got was a look of confusion from Ally, who was preoccupied with trying not to trip over her own feet, and an odd look from Trish who had overheard what he had said. He also received a bruise on his shoulder from where a certain blond had 'accidentally' hit him. He thinks maybe he shouldn't mention it again.

**3**

To say he wasn't surprised Austin got jealous of Elliot was the understatement of the century. From the moment Elliot had walked into Sonic Boom and Ally had run into his arms Austin had almost been shaking with rage. Dez knew that he was not at all happy about there being another guy in Ally's life and at first pinned it down to feeling left out. But then he walked into the practice room to see Austin trying to weave a basket _(key word: trying) _and he knew it was jealousy. That paired with the fact that Austin was neglecting Kira quite a bit made Dez come up with the conclusion that Austin did in fact like Ally. They'd always had a special relationship and it was obvious to everyone that they had feelings for each other. That is to everyone but themselves.

Dez feels pretty proud that he finally got Austin to admit his feelings, even if it did take a long time for him to stop being so oblivious and admit the truth. Dez thinks that Austin was just being stubborn and refused to admit he had feelings for Ally in case she didn't feel the same way or it ruined their friendship. He'd never admit he was scared, but Dez knew he was. Call it best friend intuition.

When he sees his best friend freeze in the middle of a sentence and the look of realisation pass over his face Dez cheers internally.

When Austin says "I like Ally" the shock and happiness is plainly evident on his face and in his voice.

"Oh it's more than that buddy. I think you're in love with her" is the reply and honestly Dez believes that. He's never seen somebody care so much about another person before or be so willing to sacrifice their dreams to make someone else happy. Dez had lost count of the number of times Austin had said Ally was more important than his career.

That's why he doesn't understand why Austin is making things so difficult for himself by continuing to date Kira even though he has feelings for Ally. Dez, as always, had some very good advice to share on the subject.

"_Forget about girls; hang out with your best friend!"_

Okay so maybe that advice wasn't the best, but it would probably make things a lot simpler. Besides, girls just messed with your heads and made things 100 times more complicated than it really was.

"_Your feelings aren't mixed you like Ally way more that you like Kira"_

And there Austin goes again; denying his feelings and being stubborn. Normally Dez would admire that he sticks to the guns, but right now it's getting boring. It's so obvious that he cares about Ally more. Does he not remember the words _'there's no way I can make it without you'_ or _'I couldn't let you down_' or _'hold my hand we'll jump together'_? Dez definitely does and he thinks that they're a pretty big deal.

"_Obviously, me and Ally should be together" _

Well at least he's finally making sense, even if he didn't quite register what he had said.

Although Austin obviously wasn't aware of what was happening then, he definitely did when Dez told him that Elliot was going to ask Ally to be his girlfriend.

Dez finds it particularly odd that Austin makes a complete fool of himself just to win a stupid contest when he doesn't even have feelings for Ally in the first place. This leads him to the conclusion that Austin likes Ally a lot more than he thought he did. So much so that even Kira notice and ended up breaking up with Austin.

Is it really bad that Dez was happy?

**4**

Dez is really starting to regret hiring Kira in the first place to act in that music video. There were hundreds of pretty girls he could have chosen but he had to choose the one that Austin would develop a liking too.

Sometimes he wonders what could have happened if Ally was promoted from wardrobe girl to lead actress. The two friends already had the chemistry so it wouldn't have been too hard for them to act like they were a couple _(they acted like it enough of the time) _but then he remembers that she has stage fright and that thought is smashed to pieces.

But then on the other hand, Kira is the reason Austin and Ally practiced having a perfect date _(he still regrets interrupting that) _which lead to the chain reaction that was them realising they liked each other

Okay, so he's kinds of conflicted. He decides to come to the conclusion that he's kind of glad he hired her, but he's not so happy that she here at that particular moment. That moment being just after Austin and Ally had kissed.

So yes, that was awkward.

She has her arms wrapped around Austin's neck and Dez once again feels a pang of sadness for Ally who has stepped back and is looking at the two in shock. She really doesn't have good luck and Dez inadvertently takes on the protective big brother role. He feels a small surge on anger towards Austin for making everything so complicated but then again he can't stay mad at his best friend.

Dez is still in a state of shock when everyone has left, bar him and Austin. Perhaps even more so than Austin, because his mouth is open still. He hears Austin start to panic and turns towards him, as if to comfort him.

"_Let's not worry about Kira and Ally right now. Let's just freak out." _

And then he's screaming and running for his life because he doesn't think he's ever felt so confused and mixed up. It was supposed to be simple; his best friends kiss, they get together and live happily ever after. Unfortunately the fairytale doesn't seem to want to end that way and the stepsister has gotten in the way _(he would call her ugly, but unfortunately she's really not.)._

**5**

Dez isn't allowed to play with parachutes anymore. Or piano's. Or the two combined in a grand stunt to impress a girl _(not that those happen often). _

He and Austin are in the practice room after that particular incident while everyone else is in the store for the party and the mood is not too great.

Austin thinks that he's completely messed everything up and that he's ruined his chances forever. He thinks she hates him. Dez honestly finds that hard to believe but he doubts Austin is any state to listen to him properly.

But then when Austin sees Ally's book resting on the piano, with the card from the flowers being used as a bookmark, his mood instantly changes. He stands up excitedly and gestures for Dez to see what he's looking at. For a second Dez is apprehensive because he really doesn't want to get told off for looking in her book, but then again this was an emergency situation and as the love whisperer he should do all he can.

She's written a song that looks to be almost finished apart from the bridge. Austin has hope once again after reading the song and decides that not only is he going to sing it to her, but he'll also finish writing it. Understandably, Dez isn't very confident about this because, despite all his talents, Austin really does struggle when it comes to writing songs. However, surprisingly, Austin seemed to have plenty to say.

"_How long till I stop pretending? _

_What we have is never ending"_

Dez assumes this in reference to when Austin was in denial about liking Ally. He was too stubborn to admit there was anything between them and it took him a while to finally admit that they had something special.

"_If all we are is just a moment_

_Don't forget me 'cus I won't"_

Dez doesn't think that they're just a moment. He honestly can't see their love fading, even if they did break up _(though he doesn't expect that to happen_). What he does believe is that Austin will never forget her. He knows that Ally is way too important to him for that.

_And I can't help myself"_

Something tells Dez that Ally wouldn't particularly mind if he couldn't help himself.

Now Austin is trying to learn the rest of the song in a matter of minutes and apparently Dez playing chopsticks on the piano isn't being very helpful, so he's sitting quietly on the piano bench. He can hear the acoustic guitar and Austin humming along quietly, bending to look at Ally's book and the lyrics. The song is really starting to come together and Dez is pretty excited for Austin to serenade Ally with it _(okay it's her own song but it still counts). _It's like a real life romance film.

Eventually the song has been learnt and Austin looks pretty nervous about the whole thing so Dez puts on his supportive best friend hat and reassures him that it will all be fine.

His hands are still shaking slightly, but Austin walks out of the practice room finally. Dez sees him look over the balcony and when he sees him visibly relax he knows Austin must have seen Ally.

When Austin starts to perform the song Dez waits until he's walked down the stairs to emerge from the practice room also. As he's walking down the stairs he can see everyone is intently staring at the two teenagers in the middle of the room, so no one notices when he takes his place next to Trish. They barely seem to notice the eyes on them, and they're just staring at each other.

Quickly Dez grabs his 'Team Ally' shirt and pulls it on quickly, hating to miss anything. From the corner of his eye he can see Ally's parents laughing and exchanging a glance. They obviously approve of the relationship. He looks to his left and see's Trish grinning too. She approves. Then his eyes scan the room and the girls look to be melting while the boys are trying to act as if they're not about to tear up. The decision seems to be unanimous; everyone approves.

The song ends and a moment later Austin says "Just come here" And then they're both right where they belong; with each other.

Reflecting on the whole thing later, Dez is honestly surprised they weren't told off for touching her book, but maybe the rules don't apply when it is used in a romantic gesture.

From that moment onwards his team Ally shirt may or not have been his favourite thing in his wardrobe. It's just so bright and colourful _(and it's not weird at all that he wears it under his clothes at all times). _ Dez is pretty happy because they're now officially a couple _(they even said so)_ and it's about time they finally got together.

Maybe they were going to get their fairytale ending after all.

**6**

He's was pretty distraught about the break up. He thought they'd be together forever and he thought the relationship was pretty perfect even if there were a few bumps in the road, so to say he was upset was about right. Austin wasn't much better. He may have acted fine but as his best friend, Dez could see that he was hurting.

After Austin and Ally's 'non-date' the two teenage boys had spent the rest of the evening playing video games in Dez's basement. Dez figured that eventually Austin would want to talk about it and finally, just before he was about to behead another zombie, Austin started talking. At first he was apprehensive, but eventually he couldn't stop. He talked about what had happened during their relationship, why they had broken up and, most importantly, how he was feeling right now while Dez listened intently and sympathetically, nodding every so often in understanding.

The way Dez saw it was that their relationship had gotten in the way of their song writing, making it awkward because they didn't want to hurt each other's feelings. From that point of view it was probably a good idea to break up. But then Austin describes the clarinet golf, how pretty Ally looked on that first date and the hand holding _(Austin would often grab Ally's hand and start playing with it absentmindedly, rubbing his thumb against her knuckle) _and Dez wonders if maybe they gave up too soon.

Throughout that night Austin went through many phases.

_10 pm: The Angry Phase. _

Austin starts to yell at himself and call himself names just as Dez is on the phone ordering pizza.

The words 'idiot' 'stupid' and 'wimp' are heard through the walls by Dez, who is standing in the hallway, on hold. He knows Austin is blaming himself for everything going wrong and hopes that this thought would soon fade and he'd get it out of his system. It's not anyone's fault exactly.

_11pm: The Moping Phase_

Austin refuses to eat the pizza they ordered, even though Dez got half pepperoni especially for him. He just keeps strumming on his guitar, playing various songs _(they may or may not be songs he had written with Ally). _

When Dez hears the familiar chords of "I Think About You" he decides that a distraction is needed.

_12pm: The Missing Phase_

Dez doesn't know where it came from, but Austin is now clutching a picture of him and Ally in his hand. He's staring at it wistfully and looks like he's going to cry any second. He's staring at his phone as if he can magically will it to ring and for Ally to be on the other end of the phone. To say that they've made a mistake and that they shouldn't have given up. The phone doesn't ring.

Dez thinks that Austin needs to get away from his phone so promptly throws it in a fish tank in his bedroom. At least for a moment Austin was yelling at him and not being sad. He'd rather take the anger.

_1am: The Philosophical phase._

Austin is in his sleeping bag now, and Dez is on the bed, almost asleep. Or at least he would be if he couldn't hear Austin muttering to himself.

He's started analysing every last second of their relationship and trying to pin point the exact point things started going wrong. Did he say something wrong? Should he have done this instead of that? What did she really mean when she said that?

He never does pinpoint the exact moment things went wrong because, in Dez's opinion, there wasn't one. He thinks they just gave up when things got too hard. Sure Austin can fight to achieve his dreams all he wants, but he doesn't know how to fight for something that he already has.

_2am: Acceptance _

They're both in the state between awake and sleep when Austin decides to speak rationally again and stops making notes on the relationship _(or at least partially rationally)._

"She asked me to not let go,"

Dez decides it best not to answer. Austin doesn't seem to be talking to him anyway.

"I should never have let her go."

And that is the last thing Dez hear before Austin's rolls over to his other side and any conversation is effectively cut off.

"Austin, did you even want to break up?" Dez asks cautiously.

Dez knows Austin is still awake because he hears his irregular breathing hitch for a second, but his only response is silence and that's all the answer Dez needs.

**A/N: you may be able to tell that this is completely unedited and I actually haven't read this through, so sorry about that. But hey, if you liked it make sure to fav/review :)**


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